Why Are So Many Bike Shops Closing Down?

By Author: Tim Greyton
Total Articles: 30
Comment this article

There were likely to be local cycling shops dotted all over your local area not too long ago. Nowadays however a great many have shut their doors and ceased trading, leaving only the bigger companies and shops that sell a range of products as well as bikes. So what is it that has been the downfall of the small biking shop, and will the trend continue? Lets take a look at a few factors.

More Cars. Everyone can see that cars are much more prominent on our roads than they used to be. Not only do more people own a car but people are choosing to use them more. Has this meant then, that as a result people having been using bikes less to get around. Halfords, a large chain of shops in the UK that serves both car and bike owners have stated that over the past 10 years there has been a decrease of 10% in the number of commuter and mountain bikes purchased. Bike sales actually increased for previous year however, possibly as a result of people cutting back on their transport costs right now and being more conscious about the environment.

Internet Shopping. Every day sees an a rise in the amount of purchases happening over ...
... the Internet. Bicycles may not have seen the most dramatic shift to internet sales as most people like to try before they buy, but there has still been movement in buying methods. According to the top bike retailer in the UK, sales on the internet account for 10% more of the total sales each year since 2000.

Online Trading sites. The growth and prominence of classifieds sites such as Craig's List is another factor to consider. Once upon a time people would take their unwanted bikes to the local bike shop and either sell it or trade it in for a new one. These days you can post your bike on advert sites and get responses within hours sometimes. There are now even sites set up specifically for advertising surfboards, snowboards and mountain bikes etc, such as Extreme Sports Trader and Bike Magic
For incredible surfboards experience extreme sports trader Where you can find extreme sports